Bones and Runes - Stephen Embleton

Three friends have their loyalty, beliefs and ancestral magic pushed to the limit. 

Mlilo, a young isangoma, is forced to call on his friend Dan, a Druid apprentice, to help him retrieve his sacred amathambo (bones) from the clutches of evil. Taking us on an unprecedented journey through the magical realms of his ancestry and traditional beliefs, Mlilo's emerging skills are tested in life or death encounters with beings from the realm of Abaphansi. Amira, a close friend of Dan's, has her own independent path to forge but will soon find that her personal quests are inextricably linked to the two men. 

The solitary isangoma, self-reliant to the extreme, will learn the importance of friendships, alliances and the meaning of living life in the real.